SYMBOLIC ANIMAL ADOPTIONS WITH NATIONAL WILDLIFE FEDERATION

Updated on January 17, 2024

Looking for a way to help protect and conserve wildlife? Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom has partnered with the National Wildlife Federation (NWF) for the symbolic animal adoption of four important species: bald eagle, gray wolf, monarch butterfly and sea turtle.

Each animal adoption helps reduce pollution, restore habitats and sustain wildlife population. Plus, NWF will plant one tree for each donation, which directly helps revitalize wildlife habitats.

You’ll receive:

• A plush animal
• A certificate of appreciation
• An 11 x 14” full-color poster of your animal
• Plus, a free 2024 Wild Kingdom wall calendar with each Wild Kingdom adoption collection purchase while supplies last

Visit the NWF website to learn more and adopt your animal today.

Adoptable species fun facts

Can’t decide which species to symbolically adopt? Discover fun facts about each animal.

Bald eagle

• Juvenile bald eagles are almost entirely brown! As they age, their bill turns to yellow and head and tail turn white.
• They were delisted from the Endangered Species Act in 2007 due to recovery efforts. A conservation success story!
• Bald eagles are solitary, but don’t become independent until around age five.
• If you’re looking to spot a bald eagle, Alaska is your best bet. They are spotted year-round in the Last Frontier.

Watch this video to learn more about bald eagles in the wild.

Gray wolf

• Wolves live in packs of two to 15 members.
• Despite its name, a gray wolf’s coat can range from solid white to brown to black.
• Wolves can live in a variety of habitats, such as tundra, woodlands, forests, grasslands and deserts.
• While they mostly travel at a pace of five miles per hour, their speed can reach up to 40 miles per hour.
• All domesticated dogs are descended from wolves.

You’ve probably heard of the big, bad wolf, but the sentiment is purely a myth. Read about common wolf misconceptions. Plus, learn about Wild Kingdom’s visit to North Carolina and St. Louis, Missouri, to see endangered wolf conservation in action.

Monarch butterfly

• Monarch butterflies begin as monarch caterpillars, then monarch chrysalises and finally, butterflies. It takes around a month to complete the transformation into a butterfly.
• Though most monarchs live in mainland North America, you can also find populations in Hawaii, Puerto Rico, the Caribbean and New Zealand.
• What’s a great way to attract monarch butterflies to your garden? Planting milkweed.
• Their bright orange wings aren’t just pretty — they serve a purpose. The bright color signals to other animals that these monarchs are poisonous.
• These butterflies migrate, traveling great distances as far north as Canada and south to Mexico.

Read more about the monarch’s incredible migration and why we must protect it.

Sea turtle

• Green sea turtles feed exclusively on marine vegetation as adults, the only sea turtle species to do so. As juveniles they also feed on marine invertebrates.
• The green sea turtle is listed as an endangered species and the more abundant loggerhead as a threatened species. Sea turtles are declining from destruction of their coastal nesting habitats, getting caught in fishing gear, ocean pollution and climate change.
• Sea turtles are quite large with green sea turtles reaching over 400 pounds and loggerheads weighing in at 350 pounds.
• Loggerhead sea turtles earned their name with their powerful beaks that can crush through hard-shelled prey, such as crustaceans and mollusks.
• These are among the oldest creatures on Earth, inhabiting our planet for 110 million years.

Watch the Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom Protecting the Wild episode, “Sea Creatures of the Florida Coast,” to see these incredible species in action. Plus, learn more about sea turtle conservation in Florida.

Discovered your new favorite animal? Don’t forget to support these species with a symbolic animal adoption here.